The World’s MOST DANGEROUS Jobs

By Antony Loveless

Apache Helicopter Pilots

Editors: Mark Sachner, Adrianna MorganelliEditorial director: Kathy MiddletonProofreader: Redbud EditorialProduction coordinator: Margaret SalterPrepress technician: Margaret SalterProject director: Ruth OwenDesigner: Elaine WilkinsonCover design: Alix Wood

Photo credits:Matt Carter: pages 20–21, 23Crown Copyright: cover (top), pages 5, 7, 27Department of Defense: pages 1, 4, 8, 9, 10–11, 13, 15, 16, 19, 24, 29Getty Images: Choi Jae-ku: cover (bottom)Antony Loveless: page 25

COVER STORY� COVER (top) – A British Army Apache AH-1 Longbow at its base at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan

� COVER (bottom) – Apache pilot

PAGE 1 – A U.S. Army pilot performs final pre-flight combat checks on an AH-64

Apache Longbow helicopter in northern Iraq.

Published in Canada

Crabtree Publishing

616 Welland Ave.

St. Catharines, ON

L2M 5V6

Published in the United States

Crabtree Publishing

PMB16A

350 Fifth Ave., Suite 3308

New York, NY 10118

Published in the United Kingdom

Crabtree Publishing

Lorna House, Suite 3.03, Lorna Road

Hove, East Sussex, UK

BN3 3EL

Published in Australia

Crabtree Publishing

386 Mt. Alexander Rd.

Ascot Vale (Melbourne)

VIC 3032

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Loveless, AntonyApache helicopter pilots / Antony Loveless.

(The world's most dangerous jobs)Includes index.ISBN 978-0-7787-5098-7 (bound).--ISBN 978-0-7787-5112-0 (pbk.)

1. Helicopter pilots--Juvenile literature. 2. Apache (Attack helicopter)--Juvenile literature. I. Title. II. Series: World's mostdangerous jobs

UG1232.A88L69 2009 j623.74'63 C2009-903384-4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Loveless, Antony.Apache helicopter pilots / Antony Loveless.

p. cm. -- (The world's most dangerous jobs)Includes index.ISBN 978-0-7787-5112-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-0-7787-5098-7

(reinforced library binding : alk. paper)1. Apache (Attack helicopter)--Juvenile literature. 2. Helicopter pilots--

United States--Juvenile literature. 3. United States. Army--Aviation--Juvenile literature. I. Title.

UG1232.A88L68 2010358.4'3--dc22

2009022421

The World’s MOST DANGEROUS Jobs

Published by CRABTREE PUBLISHING COMPANY in 2010All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Crabtree Publishing Company.

Copyright © 2010 Ruby Tuesday Books Ltd

CONTENTSRiding the Dragon 4

The Dangers 6

The AH-64 Apache 8

The Longbow Apache 10

Training 12

The Crew 14

Flying the Apache 16

Pilot’s Eye 18

The Forward Air Controller 20

View from the Ground 22

A Pilot’s Life 24

Fighting the Apache 26

The Battle of Donkey Island 28

It's a Fact! 30

Glossary 31

Index 32

RIDING THEDRAGON

4 ”“

For most people in today’s world, a day at work is not dangerous.Workers sit at desks in offices. They help customers in stores, or they make goods in factories.

For some people, however, facing danger is an everyday part oftheir job. The army’s Apache helicopter pilots go to work each dayto fight for us and to protect us. These brave men and women risktheir own lives to do one of the world’s most dangerous jobs.

The job of an Apache helicopter pilot is to protect ground troops—the soldiers on the ground. They do this by attacking enemyground forces. Apache pilots are in constant danger of being shot down themselves by an enemy fighter.

Apache pilots fly the most demanding helicopter in existence. It is so complicated and difficult to operate that flying it is known as “Riding the Dragon.”

One of the difficult things we have to learn is to train

our eyes to work independently of each other. We wear a

helmet with a monocle (an eyeglass) that displays flight

and weapons information. The right eye looks at the

monocle and interprets the data it provides. The left eye

is free to look outside the aircraft to scan for threats.

Nick, British Army Apache Pilot

Apache pilots have a reputation within theforces as the elite of the elite—the best of the best! Only three percent of helicopter pilots qualify to fly

the Apache helicopter.

5

� The Longbow Apache helicopter uses a radar system (the domeon the top of the main rotor) to track targets. The Longbow radar can

identify and track two priorities out of a list of 256 potential targets.

THE DANGERS

6

“

”

The Apache helicopter is essentially a flying tank. It can inflictmassive damage on an enemy and survive heavy enemy firepower.The Apache can also zero in on specific targets, day or night, even in terrible weather. It is a formidable machine for any enemy to face.

The Apache’s capabilities have actually added to the danger of the Apache pilot’s job. In Afghanistan, the Apache is such aterrifying machine to the Taliban fighters that they will do all they can to shoot an Apache down.

Because they are targeted in this way, Apache pilots keep a verylow profile. For example, where quotes from Apache pilots havebeen used in this book, their names have been changed to protecttheir identities. The pilots don’t want to give anything away thatmight be of use to an enemy.

I think of myself as a flying soldier, not simply as a

pilot. I believe that to be effective in attack you need

to feel and think like an infantry soldier—the ground

soldiers who come into close contact with an enemy.

The Apache’s main function in battle is to attack the enemy

at close range. We actually see the faces of our enemies in

close—up on a five—inch [13—centimeter) square screen

before we pull the trigger. It’s close and it’s personal, but

it’s them or us. That’s the reality of what we do.

Mike, U.S. Army Apache Pilot